Slipped away
by IsThereAUsernameThatsNotTaken
Summary: "It's okay, Ellie. It's my time, babygirl."


"Keep up, Old timer!" Ellie teased, skipping ahead of Joel, still full of life despite the death surrounding her. He chuckled at Ellies lightness. Hadn't changed a bit in the 15 years Joel had known her. Joel however, had. He was getting older, and weaker, and more vulnerable. He was a drag to Ellie now. Ellie never liked admitting it, but it broke her heart to see his body begin to fail him. He was getting sicker and sicker. They both knew that Joel was on his way out, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. They just had to accept the fact that whether it be by clickers or old age, Joels days were numbered.

"Ellie, wait up." I groaned, joggin' along. "I'll wait up here!" Ellie hollered back. "Ah, hell, might as well just run back, anyways." She dashes in my direction like a mad man. "Need a hand?" She offers. "No... I can walk just fine." I reply. "...I'm helping you anyway." She slings my arm over her shoulder. It still freaks me out that she's about as tall as I am. We hobble awkwardly towards the make shift camp site Ellie had fashioned us to live in while we cleared out land to claim for Tommy to expand on for farm land. Well more her than me. She tried to convince me to stay, but what can I say, not my way to do things. "Easy there, Speed Racer." Ellie mocks. "Shut up." I tease back. We reach the camp site and I plop down on a log. "I'm gonna go see what I can find over that way. Stay put, alright?"

"Now, Ellie-"

"Joel."

"Fine..."

I can handle waitin'. So tired though... I might as well get some shut eye, she won't be back for a while. I roll onto my side and close my eyes and drift off into slumber.

I'm sittin' on my old couch, back in Texas. Flippin' through channels mindlessly. I've forgotten whatever tv show I was looking for, so I just keep on flippin'.

"Argh!" A scream, shit!

"Ellie!" I call out. C'mon, wake up! Just wake the fuck up, Joel! Ellie could be havin' her throat ripped out right about now!

Surprisingly, a hand brings me out of my dream. Only it doesn't belong to Ellie.

_A stalker. _

"Ellie!" I shout. I fumble for my gun in my holster but to no avail. The stalker has already tore its way through my forearm. The gun's in my hand now, so I blow its brains out. But it's already done more damage to me than I can undo. Ellie comes sprinting out of the woods. "Joel! Joel! Are you okay?!" She hollers, but I don't holler back. Blood gushes through my bite wound like a river, so I cup my palm over it in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding. I already know that it's over for me, and by the look in Ellies innocent eyes, she knows too. she crouches down beside me and scans the area with her eyes frantically. "Joel, Oh god, oh god, this is bad. I...I..." Ellie stutters out in a blink of an eye. "It's okay Ellie. It's my time, babygirl." I whisper to her, stroking her hair like I always used to when she'd have night terrors. "No, no Joel, don't fucking say that. You're gonna be fine, you're gonna be just fine, god damn it." She said, panickedly examining my wounds. Her voice is cracking and he hands are shaking, and I can see tears beginnin' to well up in her eyes.

"Ellie, you know that ain't true."

"You're gonna be okay, you'll pull through! I swear, I can fix this, we just have to get back to Tommys and I can-"

"Ellie, you've seen what happens. I'll turn. You're gonna have to-"

"No. Don't even suggest it. I can't." Teardrops are dribbling down her cheeks now, glistening in the early morning sunlight. I hold her hands in mine to stop the wild shaking.

"Don't cry, babygirl. You're gonna be okay. You don't need my protectin' anymore."

"No, Joel, don't.. Please. Don't go, Joel. Don't leave me here alone...Please." Ellie sobbed into my shoulder.

"Ellie, look me in the eyes."

She pulls her face from my shoulder to look at me and can barely manage to make eye contact. The pain in her glossy eyes is breaking my heart, but I press on, wiping a single tear from her cheek. The very life is draining out of my weak body.

"I don't have much time left, Ellie. I'm sorry, darlin', you'll be alright without me. I love you, babygirl."

"I love you too, Joel, please, just stay with me Joel, please!"

The evergrowing darkness envelopes me.

His hands became limp and ice cold. His chest ceased to rise and fall. His eyes were open, but he wasn't in there. Ellie was well aware that Joel was gone forever, but couldn't stop sobbing over his corpse.

"Joel, wake up, please, get up, please.."

"Why, Joel, Why? Why did you have to... Why?"

She pulled a single daisy out of the mushy spring ground next to them and laid it acrossed Joels chest.

"Goodnight, Joel. I'll never forget you."


End file.
